LingoDrop
French · Pronunciation Guide
How do you pronounce "la semaine" in French?
lah suh-MEN — the middle schwa often drops, and the "-aine" ending has a real "n", not a nasal vowel.
la se-MAINE, with the weight on the last syllable and the middle one reduced. The compression is what makes it sound native rather than textbook.
Listen: la semaine
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Sound it out
Hear it in a sentence
À la semaine prochaine !
See you next week!
Listen: À la semaine prochaine !
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"À la semaine prochaine !" is a farewell built on the same "à + time" pattern as "à demain" and "à bientôt". "Prochaine" is the feminine form, ending in a real "n" like "semaine" itself — so the phrase closes with two matching oral "-aine" endings. The article is required here, unlike in "à demain".
Where English speakers slip
The "-aine" ending gets nasalized by learners who know that "ain" is a nasal vowel — but the silent "e" after the "n" changes everything, making it a real consonant. Compare "main" (nasal) with "semaine" (not). Learners also over-articulate the middle schwa; let it shrink. And the "ai" is a flat open "eh", not the "ay" of English "maine".